Ets Jean-Pierre Moueix 2017

“Here we find our baseline, the real heartbeat of Pomerol and St Emilion and the true expression of the vintage.”

One of the highlights of any Bordeaux buying trip, perhaps counterintuitively we try to ensure that our annual primeur tastings don’t start at Ets Jean-Pierre Moueix; instead we like to go to a few tastings first to see which communes have had more or less success before going to taste Christian and Edouard Moueix’s wines. Here we find our baseline, the real heartbeat of Pomerol and St Emilion and the true expression of the vintage, which allows us to evaluate other producers’ wines against a known measure, one where the vineyard and the vintage are allowed equal prominence, not necessarily the case elsewhere. In 2017, this was more important than ever because of the haphazard nature of the frost which left some areas intact and others decimated. Although the frost is a key feature in the 2017 vintage, it is most definitely not the feature, and is probably most relevant when discussing quantities produced rather than quality.

The winter of 2016 / 2017 was extremely dry and relatively cold, followed by an early warm, wet spring which brought the vines on some two weeks ahead of schedule, and the early budding Merlot in particular was showing significant growth by the time of the en primeur tastings last April (in comparison, this year virtually no buds had burst, Merlot or Cabernet, and the tastings were a week later). The frost first struck on the night of 27th April, particularly on the plains of St Emilion, on the edges of the Pomerol plateau and the slopes of Lalande de Pomerol; the plateau of Pomerol was saved by the concerted actions of the owners who came together to light candles and use giant fans at 3am as the temperature dropped further. After three nights of frost, the weather continued warm and dry until the end of June when some welcome rain fell, around 100mm, not enough to replenish the water tables but sufficient to revive the vines; flowering was early and uniformly successful, under perfect conditions, and the indicators were in place for an early harvest. July and August were sunny but cooler than average, and véraison, when the grapes change from green to red, was also a fortnight earlier than the average. Rain in mid-September provided welcome relief from the on-going drought, particularly for the younger vines with shallower root systems, and the harvest began just before the rains and continued afterwards, with the last grapes brought in before the end of September. Bar the frost, it was an exceptionally fine growing season.

Edouard Moueix described the 2017 wines as being like a bone, with a good attack and finish but, at this stage in their development, slimmer in the middle; a slimness which will be filled out by the time the wines spend in barrel, an important distinction from those wines which have a hollow mid-palate which will never fill out. Edouard feels that those hollow wines that we found elsewhere in our tastings are the result of the inclusion of second or even third generation fruit* in the blend, and particularly where these were picked at the same time as first generation fruit. Ets J-P Moueix handled their second generation fruit completely separately, keeping fermentation temperatures lower than usual to focus on ripe tannins, and only including it in the final blend when it absolutely justified its place there. The wines here, almost regardless of level, show beautifully juicy fruit, fresh and linear yet deliciously ripe too, with super-supple tannins; the further up the scale you go, the more powerful the wines become. They are all highly recommended, with some putting in performances to at least equal their last two years’ performances.

* Click here for our full vintage report. Wines are offered subject to availability and may be subject to allocation. To place an order, please click on the wine name to send us an email or call us on 01353 721 999.

Château Bélair Monange, 1er Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion 2017
90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
Deep purple black with grilled black fruits on the nose, giving very little away at this stage and equally tight on the palate, with a hint of ceps, black fruits, earthy and savoury, with massive ripe tannins behind, supple, layered and primary. Impenetrable initially then superb on the finish showing what is in store for the future: rich, grilled, savoury and complex - what a wine! Drink 2027 - 2039

price awaited

6 per case

Château Chantalouette, Pomerol 2017
70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Vibrant red black with a nose of sweet, tarry black fruit, rich and layered, leading to a palate which is even more expressive than the nose, tarry again, grilled and dense with lovely, supple tannins, sweet and ripe with a long finish. A very impressive second wine from Château de Sales. Drink 2022 - 2030

Château Plince, Pomerol 2017
79% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc
Deeper and denser in colour with a nose of gorgeously plump grilled black fruit, new wood, spiced and really alluring in a very obvious way, leading to a palate unusually marked by spiced new wood with savoury black fruit and substantial supple tannins behind, fresh and vibrant, with a long finish of grilled black fruits. Very fine indeed. Drink 2024 - 2034

£320

Château Lafleur-Gazin, Pomerol 2017
100% Merlot
Deep purple black with a nose of primary blackcurrant fruit, fresh and vibrant, with some lightly creamed notes, leading to a very primary fruited palate with notes of blackcurrant pastilles, intense with some grilled spiced notes, mono-directional at this stage, with supple ripe tannins behind. Drink 2022 - 2032

£325

sold out

Château Bourgneuf, Pomerol 2017
90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
Dense purple black with a nose of crushed blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, very alluring and primary, some tarry notes too and a distant note of grilled new wood leading to a palate of lovely sweet black fruit with a light savoury note, fresh and vibrant, with substantial ripe tannins behind as well as a light lick of acidity; really balanced and vibrant with lovely power too. A real success this year. Drink 2025 - 2035